Portable fire escape



Nov. 27, 1951 R. B. MITCHELL 2,576,531

PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE Filed Nov. 24, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Roger B. Mitchell INVENTOR.

Nov. 27, 1951 B, MITCHEUQ 2,576,531

PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE Filed Nov. 24, 1950 I. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Roger B,Mi/c/1e// INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE FIRE ESCAPE Roger B. Mitchell, Louisburg, N. 0.

Application November 24, 1950, Serial No.' 197,391 (01. 227-41) A 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fire escapes of the portable type.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved fire escape device which uses a single rope entrained around a number of pulleys, one end of the rope being provided with a device to hold an individual-to be lowered and the other part of the rope being used to actuate a brake mechanism, the brake mechanism consisting of a lever which is pivoted-to a support and which has a pair of pulleys thereon with the rope entrained around these pulleys and which also includes a pulley carried by the support together with a brake member, the lever being so arranged that when one of the rope ends is pulled, the lever is pivotally operated thereby pressing one of the pulleys on'it against the brake member and also causing the brake member to contact the pulley on the support frictionally thereby impeding free rotation of these pulleys and hence, causing the rope which is entrained around these pulleys to be decelerated.

Ancillary objects and features of importance will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a part of a building with the device attached to it;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device;

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 but showing the brake in the operative position;

Figure 4 is a view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 and in the direction of the arrows; and,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the brake member.

As noted in Figure 1, there is illustrated by way of environment, a window II) with a hook l2 attached to a part of the window framing. This hook has a small length of cable or rope l4 attached to it by means of an eye I6 carried by the cable or rope. The rope or cable is connected to an eye 18, the latter eye being fixed to the upper wall of a housing 22. This housing 22 constitutes a support for the pulley 24 which is mounted for rotation on the shaft 26. Thisshaft is carried in bearings 28 and 30 fixed rigid with the inside of the housing.

The housing or support 22 has a front wall 32 to which the hinge 34 is attached near the lower end of said front wall. This hinge connects a lever 36 to the support 22, the specific structure of the lever being seen best in Figures 2 and 3. Said 2 V structure includes a top wall 31 with sides 38 and an end wall 39. Shafts 4D and 42 are located in bearings in the sides 38 and mount the pair of pulleys 44' and 46 respectively for rotation in the lever 36.

An elongated flexible member, as the rope 48 or a cable, is passed over the pulley 24, under the pulley 44 and over the pulley 46. At one end of the rope there is a device, for example the seat 59 in'the loop 52, for supporting an individual to be lowered. The other end or part of the rope is arranged to be pulled for the purpose of decelerating or holding the speed of descent of the person on the individual supporting seat 50.

There is a brake mechanism arranged to be operative upon pulling the appropriate end of the rope 48. This brake mechanism consists preferably of a brake member 56 which is mounted on a spindle 58. The spindle is carried by the side walls of the housing 22 and the brake member is pivoted intermediate its ends. The end 60 of the brake member 56 is slightly curved, while the end 62 of the brake member is also curved, both of these ends being arranged to contact frictionally the pulleys 24 and 44 to impede free rotation thereof.

There is resilient means yieldingly opposing the pivotal movement of the lever 35. The preferable yielding means consists of a spring 66 which is secured at one end to a hook or eye 61 on the lever 36 and which is similarly secured to the housing 22 by the hook or eye 68.

In operation, a person seats himself upon the individual holding device and holds the opposite end of the rope or any part of the rope on the other side of the pulley 24. Then, when his weight is applied to the seat 50, the lever 36 is pulled downwardly against the yielding opposition of the spring 66. This lever movement causes the pulley 44 to contact the end portion 62 of the brake member 56, forcing it to rotate about the spindle 48 so that the end 60 thereof contacts the pulley 24. Accordingly, the friction between the pulleys 44 and 22 and the brake member 56 prevent free rotation of these pulleys and hence, the rate of descent of the person is lowered in accordance with his desires.

It is apparent when the device is not in use the spring 66 may be released and placed within the support housing 22. The rope 48 may be likewise stored and the lever 36 swung around to form at least a partial closure for the housing. It is also apparent that the support may be attached to another part of the building and need not necessarily be attached by the hook I2 to the window construction. The actual attachment illustrated in Figure 1 shows one way of attaching the device in place and others may be resorted to.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A portable fire escape comprising a support, a lever pivoted at one end to said support, a brake member attached to said support, a pulley carried by said support, a pair of pulleys secured to said lever, a rope entrained around said pulleys and having a device to hold a person to be lowered, and said lever being arranged to be pivoted so that one pulley of said pair of pulleys frictionally contacts said brake member.

2. The combination of claim 1 and said brake member being pivoted to said support intermediate the ends of said brake member, and one end of said brake member being arranged to contact the pulley on said support to impede rotation of the latter pulley.

3.- A. fire escape device comprising a housing constituting a support, a rope adapted to be stored in said housing, said support having a pulley with said rope entrained thereon, a lever pivotally connected to said support and having a pair of pulleys carried thereby, said rope being entrained around both pulleys of said pair of pulleys, a brake mechanism arranged to be operated' by application of a force to one end of said rope, and the other end of said rope being provided with a means of supporting an individual of said pair of pulleys and the pulley carried by said support so that when said lever is pivotally operated, said one of said pulleys of said pair of pulleys contacts one of the curved end members of said brake member frictionally and said brake member is thereby swung so that the other end of said brake member contacts the pulley which is carried by said support.

4. A fire escape comprising a lever, a pair of rotatable guide member carried by said lever, a support having said lever, pivoted thereto and having a rotatable guide member carried thereby, a rope entrained around said guide members, a spring attached to said lever and said support to yieldingly oppose the pivotal movement of said lever with respect to said support, a brake mechanism operatively connected with said rotatable members and carried by said support which is rendered operative in response to pivotal movement. of said lever against the opposing force of said spring, said brake mechanism including a brake member mounted for rocking movement and arranged to be contacted by one of the rotatable members of said lever to thereby rock the brake member so that the opposite end thereof contacts the rotatable member carried by said support.

I ROGER B. MITCHELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in they file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I 1,370,306 Griest Mar. 1, 1921 1,625,221 Nykolyshak Apr. 19, 1927 

